Measuring apparatus



June 28, 1932. F. WATGNER s'rAL MEASURING APPARATUS :Filad June 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 28, 1932. F, WAGNER 51' 1,864,967

umsunmo urnnus Filed Juno 6. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-.3.

5v invention may take,

'atented June UNITED s'rA'ras PATENT OFFICE FBEDBICK WAGNER, 01' ATOO, NEW JERSEY, AND HOWARD C. MITCHELL,

OI PHILL- DELYHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOBB TO OOCHBANE COBPOBATION,'OI PHILA- DELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION PENNSYLVANIA MEASURING APPARATUS Application fled lane 8, 1828. Serial No. 283,843.

Our invention relates to measuring aparatus of a character by which there is efected integration of magnitudes of quantities or conditions, or, for example, of flow of a fluid.

In accordance with our invention, the integrating or counting mechanism is controlled through co-acting clutch members, the duration of whose co-action is controlled in accordance with changes in magnitudes of the quantities or conditions to be measured or integrated; and more particularly, there intervenes between an element, w ose movements or positions represent the quantities or conditions in question, and the means for varying the duration of co-action of clutch members, a compensating or rectifying cam.

Further in accordance with our invention, there is provided tinuously to oscillate a clutch member, as a pawl, through an angle of fixed or redetermined magnitude, the duration 0 enga ement between the clutch members, as t e pawl and a ratchet wheel, the latter actuating or controlling an element of the integrating apparatus, being determined by the position 0 the compensating cam; more particularly and preferably, the horologic device drives the'clutch member through a substantially 1 rigid connection.

Our invention further resides in features of construction, arrangement and combination hereinafter described and claimed.

For an illustration of one of the forms our reference is to be had in which:

to the accompanying drawin view of an ap- Fig. 1 is a front elevations. paratus embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view partly in 9 section, the section taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is enlarged scale, shown in Fig. 1.

a front elevational view, on an of mtegrating mechanism Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the mechanism of Fig. 3. b

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the structure of Fig. 3.

Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmenta detail views of clutch mechanism shown in igs.4 and 5.

an horologic device con-x Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view illustatmgfa feature of construction.

ig. 9 diagrammatically illustrates one of the uses of our invention. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, within a housing 1, havin a wall 2, the whole or at least a part of w ich is of transparent material as lass and displaceable when necessaryveor desirable for purposes hereinafter descri disposed a casting 3 having top and base members 4 and 5, respectively, which receive the upper and lower extremities of spaced rods or bars 6 between which reciprocates a carriage member 7 having grooved rollers 8 which engage the rods in the manner illustrated. d ustably secured to the carriage member 7 and depending therefrom is a rod 9 to the lower end of which is suitably atta ied a float membeg 1% ear its u er en t e castin 3 is rovided with 5 g p posite sides thereof and which receives a shaft 12 havingan end adjacent and substantially equidistant from the rods 6, to which is secured a compensating cam13.

Preferably the cam 13 "s punched from a metal sheet, the aperture 13a and the hole for hearing 11 extending on op-' shaft 12 being utilized to determine the position of unpunched plate with respect to the punching dies, and therefore the zero point ofthe cam face contour with-respect to aperture 13a. 2

Referring to Fig. 8, the end of the shaft 12 terminates in a portion which is non-circular or square as s own, which portion passes through an aperture of similar shape .in the upper end of cam 13, the cam being retained on the shaft by a screw 14 threadabl engaging the squared end'of the shaft an ing the cam between the shaft and the head of the screw 14 or a Washer 15. The cam is constantly biased to rotate in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 by any suitable mechanism, for example and preferably, by

clamp- I rotatable on a screw 19, carried by the car- 1 provided with a suitable mark tached 1' driven shaft, not shown, a continuous record riago member 7 and reciprocable therewith to determine the ition of cam 13 and mecha-' nism associate therewith and hereinafter described.

To the opposite end of the shaft 12 is seecured the arm the lower end of which is mg meansas a stylus, or pen 21 which indicates the 1nstantaneous position of cam 13 and which 1s also adapted to trace on a recorder sheet 22, clamped by thumb nut 23 to a shaft 24 driven by a clock 25 through gears 25a and 256 atrespectively to shaft 24 and a clockof the positions that the cam 13 assumes durin rotation of the disk 22.

ihe crank'arm 26 secured to shaft 12 intermediate its ends transmits movement of the cam 13 through a connecting link 27 and crank arm 28 to an indicating member or pointer 29 secured to a sleeve 30 freely rotatable on shaft 24 and integral with or suitably secured to crank arm 28.

To the outer ends of posts or standards 31 projecting forwardly from and preferaintegral with casting 3, 1s secured, as by screws 32, an indicating late 33. Near its free end the pointer 29 is ent-forwardl and downwardly to provide a tip port1on 34 disposed in front 0 and cooperat ng with the scale member 33 continuously to indicate the instantaneous variable position of cam per day, by the stylus 21 or uivalent of tin recorder arm 20, the tip 34 o the indicating arm 29 indicating for any given instant tilt present rate of flow.

It is characteristic of the construction de' scribed that shocks imparted to the. actuating rod as by violent and sudden change: of fluid flow are not transmitted to the relatively sensitive mechanism of the apparatus.

s there is no fixed or rigid connection between the carriage abutment 18 and cam 13, rapid upward movement of the carriage tends to move the abutment out of contact with cam 13, lessening the contact pressure between them which cannot exceed that due to the biasing weight 16 in clockwise rotation of cam 13. Downward movement of the carriage 7 is effected substantially solel under the influence of a constant biasing orce, in the described construction, that of gravity, which being relatively small, and active only through a comparatively short distance, is incapable of delivering an appreciable shock to the cam. ed cam 13 and its counterweight or an equivalent construction constitute a buffer arrangement which tends to reduce shock dury mg counterclockwise rotation of the cam.

In other words, it will be seen from the foregoing that the element or abutment 18 and the cam 13 are disposed in such relation with respect to each other that upward move- 13. v I ment of the abutment is in a direction away The mechanism thus far described ma be from the cam surface to permit free clock- I used, for example, to indicate or recor or wise movement of the cam solely by the biassimultaneously indicate and record, the flow of a liquid, as water, through a tank 35 (F 1g.

- 9) having intermediate the input pipe 36 and the output pipe 37, notched weir plate 38. is well understood in the art, the liquid level at the inlet end of the tank, is a function-of the rate of flow of the liquid over the notched weir plate. variation in the liquid level on a substantiall linear scale, there is interposed between the .float 10 and the indicator 34, the cam 13,

the contour of whose face in engagement with the stop or abutment 18 is designed and cut to give equal increments of movement of the pen arm 20 for equal increments of change in the rate offlow of liquid through the tank Upon increase in height of the liquid in the tank 35 the float 1O raises the carriage 7 Y and with it the abutment 18, the cam 13 rotatthe cam. The

ing clockwise under the influence of the weight 16 constantly to bear against the abutment during movement of the carriage, the angular displacement of the cam and of the recording arm 20 varying in extent for equal increments of movement of the carriage 7 in accordance to the curvature or contour of change in position of the float and hence of the rate of flow of liquid is recorded upon the circular recorder sheet 22, revolving, for example, one revolution To indicate on record y therefore, the action is ing force of gravity provided by the weight 16, and downward movement of the abutof the cam solely by the forceofgravit acting on the abutment and the associate riage 7, rod 9 and float 10.

In the present improved construction,

such that movement of the measuring element or means,

the pen arm 20, the indicating arm 29, the gear segment a for the integrating or counting mechanism, or other equivalent element or elements, is imparted thereto in both directions solely by the forceof gravity by co-action of cam 13 and abutment 18. In other words the means, including the cooperating cam 13 control measuring action in either sense solely by the action of gravity.

Integral with or indicator plate 33 is a ring 39 through which pass the screws 40 into the ends of standards 41 projecting forwardly from and preferably integral with the casting 3. A member 42 inwardly extehding from and preferably integral with the ring 39 supports the back 'of the recorder disk 22 in the path of movement of the recording pen to prevent'defcarand abutment 18, effect or suitably secured to the ormation of a sheetby the pen and to insure that legible record results.

Upon displacement of the wall 2 of housing 1, and after removal of actuating rod 9, the entire assembly may be removed as a unit for inspection, repair or replacement of parts. For example, the device may be utilized with an apparatus other than a V notch weir in which event, compensating cam 13v as described is removed and replaced by one having a proper contour com ensating for a different law of operation of t e apparatus.

In installing the device, for example, in a system as above described, a suitable tool or.

tion.

The clockwork mechanism disposed and secured within a recessed portion 43 of the casting is also utilized to actuate an integrating mechanism 44 which directly indicates the total flow of liquid, as water. To the end of shaft 45 of the clockwork 25 is secured a crank arm 46 connected through link 47 to the arm 48 of a framework comprising two spaced members49 connected at their lower ends by a spacer 50, preferably weighted, and at their upper ends by a cross-bar 51, and pivoted intermediate their ends and freel rotatable on a shaft 52, to which is secure as by set screws 53 a disk 54 having a serrated edge or periphery adaptedto be engaged by the correspondingly serrated portion of a weighted 'pawlmember 55 pivoted between frame members 49 at or near their upper ends. The outer end of shaft 52 is j ournaled in the free end of a bracket member 56 secured as by screws 57 to the base plate 58 of integrating mechanism 44. Suitably attached to the bracket 56 and concentric wit shaft 52 is a bearing 58 on which is rotatably mounted a unit comprising the cam 59, gear segment 60 and a sleeve 61 connecting them. The gear segment 60 is in meshing engagement with a gear segment 60a secured to and rotatable about shaft 12 as an axis, the position of the high part of thecam 59 therefore being determined by the osition of the compensating cam '13, and in irectly to the osition of float 10. By using a single horo ogic mechanism 25, there is obtained exact synchronism between rotation of the recorder disk and of the oscillations-of the cam-supporting framework. The edge of the cam 59 is in the path of and adapted to en gage a pin 62 extending from the pawl member 55 to effect disen agement of the pawl from the ratchet dis 54. Upon relative movement of the pawl and cam to a position in which the pin 62 is not in engagement with I the eriphery of the cam, the pawl by its wei t drops into engagement with the ratc et disk or wheel 54. Secured to the shaft 52 betwen the base or main plate 58 and a front plate 63 spaced therefrom as by columns or standards 64 is the first gear of a Geneva train comprising the shafts 65, 66, 67 and 68, having their opposite ends journaled in the plates 58 and 63 and on which are mounted Geneva gears and indicating dials inlthe usual manner. As is customary the front plate 63 is provided with a series of apertures through which the numerals on the respective indicating dials 69 appear 1n succession.

A flat spring 70 of suitable metal as hosphor bronze is bent over one ofthe stan ards 64 and the free ends of the spring engage respectively another of the standards, as

shown, and the shaft 52. The two standards or posts 64 with which the spring 70 is in contact maybe suitably recessed to prevent lateral displacement of the spring. The spring may be withdrawn when desired by moving the free ends towards each other and moving the spring downwardly and to the right, as viewed in Fig. 3.

The shaft 45 is rotated at a constant speed by the clockwork mechanism 25 and the pawl 55, through crank arm 46, connecting rod 47, and frame members 49, is oscillated through an angle of fixed or predetermined magnitude at a constant frequency, as for example, one reciprocation per minute. The load 1mosed upon the clockwork driving mechanism 1s, therefore, practically constant.

The angle may be nicely adjusted by rotation of screw 71 supported by a bracket 72 secured to plate 58, and having a tapered end adapted to engage cross bar 51 of the oscillating framework carrying pawl '55 at one end of its range of movement. A stiff helical spring coiled about the screw between bracket 72 and the knurled'head of the screw holds it firmly in adjusted position. After engagement of the bar 51 and the end of screw 71,

upon continued rotation of crank arm 46, the

connecting link 47 which is slightly bowed, s'traightens to an extent permitting crank arm 46 to continue to revolve.

In the installing of the apparatus or thereafter when it is desired to check the accuracy of the integrating mechanism, the carriage 7 is moved to its lowest position and the arm 48 oscillated several times. No change of reading of the indicating dials should result. The carriage is then moved to a second position, as to its most upwand one, and the arm 48 oscillated a predetermined number of times, if the engagement between the clutch members is of proper duration, a known change of reading is efiected. If the chan e is other than the correct one, screw 71 is a number of oscillations of arm 'tain position of cam 13, is

position (if the high part of cam 59 which as above stated bears a definite relation to the position of the compensating cam 13 and therefore to the instantaneous rate of flow over the notched weir plate 38.

The broad aspects of our invention relatin to measuring apparatus in general, and subject matter relating to recor ing mechanism and indicating mechanism only are not herein claimed, but are claimed in our divisional application Serial No. 369,480, filed June 8,1929. l It Will be understood that our invention is not limited to measurement of flow of liquid over a Vnotch weir but may be utilized in any counting mechanism system of measurement in which the increments of movement of a member actuated by or movable in response to change in magnitude of a condition are not equal for equal increments of change in magnitude of the condition.

It will be understood, further, that the operating means or mechanism, including cam '13 and the cooperating abutment 18, may be utilized to efiect or control, directly or indirectly, operation of one or more elements which individually or in cooperation with each other provide for indication, recording, or integration, or two or more of them simu taneously, of the condition being measured.

What we claim is:

1. Integrating apparatus comprising counting mechanism, a clutch member associated therewith, a second clutch member adapted to cooperate with said first clutch member, horolo ic mechanism for moving said second clutc member to and fro at constant speed in a path of predetermined, fixed length, and means controlled by a condition under measurement determining the duratlon of engagement between said clutch members during movement of said second clutch member in said path of fixed length in accordance with the magnitude of said condition.

2. Integratingv a paratus comprising aving a shaft, a rotatable clutch member mounted thereon, a sec- 0nd clutch member adapted to engage said first clutch member in one direction of movement, means constantly to bias said second member toward said first member, means to oscillate said second clutch member through an angle of predetermined fixed magnitude, and means to determine the duration of periods of engagement between said clutch members in accordance with the varying magnitudes of a condition.

wheel mounted thereon, a pawl pawl 3. Integrating apparatus comprising counting mechanism having a shaft, a ratchet adapted to engage said ratchet wheel, structure supporting said pawl, means to oscillate said structure through an angle of fixed magnitude and comprising therewith a movin system, and a cam movable into the path 0% said pawl to greater or less extent in accordance with the varying magnitudes of a condition to control the duration of the riod of enga ement between said pawl an ratchet for eac oscillation of said pawl.

4. Integrating apparatus comprising counting mechanism having a shaft, a ratchet wheel mounted thereon, a pawl adapted to engage said ratchet wheel, structure su port ing said pawl, means including a exible member to oscillate said structure through an angle of predetermined constant magnitude and comprising therewith a movin sys-' tem, means to adjust the ma nitude 0 said angle comprising an adjustab e stop adapted to engage an element of said system, and a cam controllin the duration of the period of engagement tween said pawl and ratchet for each oscillation of said pawl in accordance with the varying magnitudes of a condition.

5. Flow-integratin counting mechanism disc attached thereto, cludin said apparatus comprisin aving a shaft, a-clutc balanced structure ina weighted pawl adapted to engage isc, horologic mechanism positivel connected to said balanced structure for osci 3 lating it at constant speed through a fixed angle, an adjustable cam adapted to hold said from engagement with said disc for a variable fraction of said an 1e, and flow-responsive means for controlfing the adjustment of said cam.

6. Flow-integratin apparatus comprisin counting mechanism aving a shaft, a clutc disc attached thereto, balanced structure ineluding a weighted pawl adapted to engae said disc, horologic mechanism positive y connected to said balanced structure for oscillating it at constant speed througha fixed angle, an adjustable cam adapted to hold said pawl from engagement with said disc for a variable fraction of said angle, flow-responsive means including a member movable to unequal extents for equal changes of rate nism in operative relation therewith, a rotatable clutch member mounted on said counting mechanism, a second clutch member adapted to engage said first clutch member in one direction of movement and oscillated by said horologic mechanism, and means to control the duration of periods of engagement 5 of said clutch members comprisin means operated by and in accordance with t e position of said cam structure.

8. In combination, integrating mechanism comprising a reciprocating abutment pivo oted cam structure in engagement with and adapted to be actuated bysaid reci rocating abutment, counting mechanism, orologic mechanism in operative relation therewith, a rotatable clutch member mounted on said [5 countin mechanism, a second clutch member adap to engage said first clutch member in one direction of movement, structure supporting said second clutch member, a link member of substantially fixed length connect- Bfl ing said structure and said horologic mechanism to efiect oscillation of said structure,-

- and means to control the duration of periods of engagement of said clutch members in accordance with the position of said cam struc- 85 ture.

9. In combination, integrating mechanism comprising abutment structure vertically reciprocable in response to change in magnitude of a condition under measurement, suspended cam structure in the path of said v abutment moved thereby during downward; movement thereof, avity actuated means to eflect movement 0 said cam structure during upward movement of said abutment 35 structure, counting mechanism, vhorologi'o;

' mechanism in o rative relation therewith a rotatable clutc member mounted on sai 5 countt'gig mechanism, a second clutch member adap to enga' said first clutch member in 40 one direction 0 movement and oscillated by said horologic mechanism, and means to con-f trol ,the duration of periods of engagement of said clutch members comprisingmeans operated by and in accordance wit 'theposi tion of said camstructure. y s FREDRIGK WAGNER.

' HOWARD Q'MITCHELL, 

